Kingdom_of_Warri

Kingdom of Warri

Kingdom of Warri

Traditional state in Delta State, Nigeria

The Kingdom of Warri, Warri Kingdom or Iwere Kingdom, (Itsekiri: Oye Iwere) was established in 1480, was part of the Nigerian traditional states its ancestral capital is based in Ode-Itsekiri, Warri South LGA, Delta State, Nigeria[1] with a palace erected in 1950s in the heart of the city of Warri, Warri South LGA, Delta State, Nigeria.

The current Olu of Warri is Ogiame Atuwatse III, who was crowned on 21 August 2021.[2]

History

According to Bini and Itsekiri histories, Olu Ginuwa, a prince of Benin Kingdom founded the Warri kingdom about 1480. In the 15th century, it was visited by Portuguese missionaries.[3] At the beginning of the 17th century, a son of the reigning Olu was sent to Portugal and returned with a Portuguese wife.[3] Their son Antonio Domingo was Olu of Warri in the 1640s.[4] Olu Erejuwa, who reigned from about 1760 to 1800, expanded the kingdom politically and commercially, using the Portuguese to further its control of tributaries in river trade and to establish control over a wider area.[5]

Later, Warri served as the base for Portuguese and Dutch slave traders. Warri became a more important port city during the late 19th century,[6] when it became a centre for the palm oil trade and other major items such as rubber, palm products, cocoa, groundnuts, hides, and skins.[7] Warri was established as a provincial headquarters by the British in the early 20th century.[8]

The Size Of The Kingdom Of Warri

Warri Kingdom size

In the work of Jean-François Landolphe published from his diary described the size of Warri Kingdom “The sovereign of this state owns not only both banks of the Benin river but also all the rivers of these parts as far as the tributaries of the Calabar or are near to it."[9]

Military

In 1656, the equipment of the Warri military was dominated by arrows and javelins with the use of few muskets.[10] By the following century, Warri forces became accustomed to firearms.[11] In the late 18th century, the naval vessels of Warri were equipped with simple sails and primary sources documented that such vessels could carry some personnel of about 100. According to historian Thornton, the Warri navy was unfamiliar with tacking. Shields were built onto the vessels to provide protection for the personnel.[12] Warri vessels may have utilized artillery. Jean-François Landolphe provided a description of the King's canoes in the early 19th century which he mentions to have mounted 7 blunderbusses arranged in series on a swivel. As a result, these guns could fire simultaneously and Landolphe states they were rarely used.[13]

Warri Crisis

This section is an excerpt from Warri Crisis.[edit]

The Warri Crisis was a series of conflicts in Delta State, Nigeria between 1997 and 2003 between the Itsekiri, the Ijaw, and the Urhobo ethnic groups.[14] Over 200,000 people were displaced by the Warri conflict between 1999 and 2006. Over 700,000 people were displaced during this period by violence in Delta State overall.[15][16]

The conflict broke out following a government decision that changed the location of the Warri South West Local Government Council (LGA) to the Itsekeri community of Ogidigben from the Ijaw town of Ogbe Ijoh.[17][18] The Council headquarters was eventually returned to Ogbe Ijoh, which restored a fragile peace in 2005.[19]

The Warri Crisis is part of a broader conflict over oil in the Niger Delta.[19] Human Rights Watch determined that "although the violence has both ethnic and political dimensions, it is essentially a fight over the oil money."[20] Ongoing armed conflict in the Niger Delta region, and the appearance of the Movement for the Emancipation of the Niger Delta (MEND) in 2005 are continued expressions of these tensions.[15]

Scholars have warned that the conflict is complex and not amenable to "quick fixes".[21]

Kings of Warri Kingdom, 1480 to present

The Kingdom of Warri has remained predominantly Christian since the coronation of its first Christian King/Olu Atorongboye also known as King Sebastian I in 1570, within a century of the foundation of the Iwere Kingdom. Below is a list of the rulers of the Warri Kingdom from inception. Note that written records began with the coronation of Olu Atorongboye Sebastian I in 1570.

More information Name, Lifespan ...

References

  1. [1]
    Royal, David O. (20 August 2022). "Eminent Nigerians, monarchs, storm Odi-Itsekiri for Olu of Warri". Vanguard News. Retrieved 19 December 2022.
  2. [2]
    "All hail Olu of Warri, Atuwatse III". Vanguard News. 22 August 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  3. [3]
    "Warri Kingdom, according to history dating back 541 years". Punch Newspapers. 20 August 2021. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  4. [4]
    J.O.S Ayomike. "Edo people's renaissance". Edo Nation. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  5. [5]
    Gab Ejuwa (26 April 2009). "Olu of Warri Coronation – Focus On Itsekiri Cultural Heritage". Vanguard. Retrieved 16 September 2010.
  6. [6]
    Harriman-Ayida, Allegra Otsaye (2018). Kingdom in the Creeks (Thesis). Wesleyan University. doi:10.14418/wes01.1.1865.
  7. [7]
    http://www.greatestcities.com/Africa/Nigeria/Warri_city.docRetrieved 13 January 2008
  8. [8]
    Ekeh, Peter Palmer (2005). Warri City and British Colonial Rule in Western Niger Delta. Urhobo Historical Society. p. 31. ISBN 978-064-924-7.
  9. [9]
    Landolphe, Jean Francois, 1747-, and Jaques Salbigoton Quesne. Memoires Du Capitaine Landolpe, Contenant L'histoire De Ses Voyages Pendant Trente-six Ans, Aux Cotes D'Afrique Et Aux Deux Ameriques. Paris: A. Bertrand [etc.], 1823.
  10. [10]
    Thornton (1999), p. 81
  11. [11]
    Thornton (1999), p. 82
  12. [12]
    Thornton (1999), p. 83
  13. [13]
    Smith, Robert Sydney (1989). Warfare & Diplomacy in Pre-colonial West Africa. Univ of Wisconsin Press. p. 84. ISBN 9780299123345.
  14. [14]
    Nigeria: INC Wants Lasting Solution to Warri Crisis. By Sola Adebayo, 5 February 2003, Vanguard (Lagos).
  15. [15]
    Leton, Marcus (2006). "Oil And The Urban Question - Fuelling Violence and Politics in Warri" (PDF). Niger Delta Economies of Violence Working Papers (8). Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  16. [16]
    “Violence left 3 million bereft in past seven years Nigeria reports”, New York Times, March 14th 2006, p.A6
  17. [17]
    "How Warri North crisis started - Egbema chiefs". Vanguard News. 22 July 2013. Retrieved 18 September 2021.
  18. [18]
    "Warri Crisis: Causes and Impact on the Oil Industry in the Niger Delta". EBSU Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities. 11 (1). 2021.
  19. [19]
    "Nigeria" (PDF). Refugee Documentation Centre of Ireland. 22 October 2010. Retrieved 28 September 2021.
  20. [20]
    Editorial Introduction: The Warri Crisis,the Niger Delta, and the Nigerian State, Meredeth Turshen. ACAS Bulletin, No. 68, Fall 2004.
  21. [21]
    Falode; Egunjobi (2022). "Investigating and Addressing Oil Related Conflicts in Niger Delta: A Case Study of Warri" (PDF). International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science. 6 (7).
  22. [22]
    Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr.; Professor Emmanuel Akyeampong; Mr. Steven J. Niven (2 February 2012). Dictionary of African Biography. OUP USA. pp. 1–. ISBN 978-0-19-538207-5.

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